Replaceable heel structure



Nov, 20, 1962 R. HENATSCH REPLACEABLE HEEL STRUCTURE Filed Sept. 2, 1958 INVENTOR.

United States Patet flfice Bfibifih? Patented Nov. 20, 1952 3,d64,367 REPLACEABLE HEEL TRUTURE more specifically to heels having adequate dimensions to permit use of the type of construction herein disclosed.

The problems in connection with heel maintenance are well-known. A comparatively slight unevenness caused by wear in certain spots, usually necessitates replacement of the tread portion or the entire heel, depending on the construction. Since this practice entails considerable waste of material and since most of the charge usually made by shoe-repairing establishments is for labor, considerable saving of both time and money could be made by a practical type of construction which would permit even an inexperienced person to perform the act of replacement.

lt is recognized that other disclosures have been made with the view of solving some of the problems in connection with heel maintenance, but it is believed that added advantages are pointed out in this invention.

Desirable features in heels of this type may be listed as follows. There should be suflicient play between movable parts when they are in motion to insure easy replacement, but no play when the heels are being worn. Maintenance should require no cobblers equipment, conventional tools nor substitutes, all of which might not be readily available. There should be no small parts to become lost or add to the work of replacement. Any means for interlocking of parts should be situated Where it can induce a tight bond at the periphery between the heel and the sole of the shoe. There should be nothing, such as exposed metal parts, screws etc., to detract from a conventional appearance when the footwear is being worn and for the sake of economy, the portion to be replaced should require a minimum amount of material, while at the same time being designed to avoid flimsiness of construction. There should be no external openings which would permit entrance of dirt to interfere with any working parts and it should be easy to manufacture. In addition to the above, may be added any means by which wear can be retarded to hold to a minimum the amount of replacement necessary.

One object of my invention is to provide for suflicient play while portions of the heel are in motion relative to each other, yet provide for a tight bond between all of the parts when a point of coincidence is reached.

Another object is to provide for construction which makes replacement a manual operation requiring no use of cobblers equipment, conventional tools nor other objects used in lieu of tools.

Another object is to provide for construction which uses no small separate parts which may become lost or add to the work of replacement.

Another object is to provide for construction which calls for interlocking of portions adjacent to the periphery of the heel so that, in case a flexible material such as rubber is used in making the heel, it cannot be easily deflected to interfere with establishment of a close bond with the sole of the shoe.

Another object is to provide a conventional appearance with no detracting features when the heel is worn.

Another object is to keep to a minimum the amount of material required for replacement of worn parts and yet provide a construction which is not flimsy.

Another object is to provide for exclusion of dirt by dovetail construction and a way of manipulating the locking device without insertion of any tool or instrument through an external opening.

Another object is to provide a construction which uses parts which can be readily and cheaply made.

Another object is to provide a type of heel construction which not only permits easy and quick replacement of worn parts, but which also permits utilization of wearretarding measures to lessen the frequency and amount of replacement.

Other objects and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the bottom of a shoe with a typical heel installation according to this disclosure, showing its conventional appearance.

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view from below, showing the first portion attached in a relatively permanent manner to the rear of the sole of a shoe.

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the second portion from above.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the second portion, showing the bottom side.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view at line 5 in FIG- URE 1, showing the resilient catch device.

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the heel held upside down to illustrate the preferred manner of applying the pressure and pull necessary to separate the two portions.

FIGURE 7 is a side elevation showing a wear-retarding plug partly inserted in a partially removed lower portion.

FIGURE 8 is a side elevation showing the locked-in plug slightly protruding from the bottom.

In the drawings, I is the sole of the footwear, to which a structure 9 has been added to give a flat surface to the sole at the rear. This is a preparatory measure and is not a part of the invention. The heels consists of two portions. The first portion 11, which is referred to as the tread-retaining portion, is shown in FIGURE 2, attached to the bottom of the sole which has been prepared to receive it. The second portion 15, referred to as the tread portion, is shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 from different angles.

By referring to FIGURE 2, it will be seen that the first portion 11, while conforming to the general shape of the heel, is somewhat more tapered than the rear of the sole 10 and is undercut at the sides and back to form a projecting flange 12, which forms a recessed groove 22 between the flange and the sole of the shoe. The front side of portion 11 has been built up to form the front wall 14 of the heel, this wall being surmounted by a strip 13, which forms a rearwardly projecting flange.

Recessed in a small aperture 24, centrally located near the front edge of portion 11, is a locking device, having a-catch 30, the exposed surface of which is constructed to slope from the back to the front, so that the front edge of catch 3!} is urged slightly out of the recess 24 by a resilient cushion of sponge-rubber 32, shown in FIG- URE S.

The shell-like tread portion 15, as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, consists of a bottom 16, shaped to conform to the back of the sole of the shoe, with a back 17 and sidewalls 18 mounted on the base to form a structure which is hollow at the center. The sides and back are topped with an over-hanging flange 20, which forms a groove 21 between it and the bottom of the heel.

The bottom of the heel 16 has along its front edge, a small groove 23 which is just large enough to receive the rearwardly projecting flange 13 shown in FIGURE 2'. In the top surface of the bottom is another shallow recess 25, which conforms to the shape of recess 24 and which is located to come directly in line with it when the heel is assemb ed.

In FIGURE 4 is shown another shallow recess 26,

this one being located on the bottom side of the bottom '16, directly beneath recess 25, which is shown in FIG- URE 3. These two recesses, 25 and 26, are separated by a thin partition of flexible material which yields when pressure is applied against it. It is contemplated that the heel may be constructed of either resilient material, such as rubber, or rigid material, such as leather. In case the heel is constructed of resilient material, the shell-like tread structure can be cast so that a thin area of material appears in this position. If the heel is to be constructed of rigid material, a thin area of flexible material can be inserted by making recess 25 slightly larger than recess 26.

In operation, the heel is self-locking when a point of V coincidence is reached. After being positioned so that the flange 2%? of tread portion 15 is in line with groove 22 formed under flange 12 of of the tread-retaining portion 11, the tread portion 15 is slid from the rear. As the narrow neck of material 31, shown in FIGURE 3, slides over the sloping surface of catch 30, the catch is urged into recess 24. However, when the neck of material 31 has cleared the recess 25, the resilient piece of spongerubber 32, shown in FIGURE 5, will force the front edge of catch 36 into recess 25, which locks the tread in position. By again referring to FIGURE 5, it will be seen that a slight pressure applied from the bottom on the thin resilient partition 27, is capable of forcing the catch '36 back into recess 24 by compressing the sponge-rubber 32, thus permitting the tread portion to he slid backward for removal.

The'preferred method of performing the act is illustrated in FIGURE 6, where a pressure applied by the forefinger on partition 27 has released catch 30 at the time a backward pull on the tread was begun. In this drawing is also shown the tapering construction of projecting flange I2 and its complemental groove 21, which permits easy sliding by reducing friction until the point of coincidence is reached, at which time a tight bond is established between the close-fitting portions and between the heel and the sole of the shoe.

In FIGURES 7 and 8 an optional feature is shown. It consists of means to insert wear-retarding material, without the use of tools or other equipment. In these cross- Sectional views, a Well 35, which is one of any suitable number, is shown in the back Wall of the tread, the opening being constructed to be smaller at the bottom, as shown in FIGURE 7. Into this well, a plug 33 is inserted, the bottom of the plug having a projection of wearretarding material 34, such as nylon, for instance, which protrudes a short distance below the bottom of the heel when it is fully inserted, as shown in FIGURE 8. By referring to this figure, it will'be seen that such plugs become locked in position when the tread is in locked position, and the tips of the plugs are in'position to retard wearing down of the heel material itself.

Since the separation of the two portions requires an intentional act of pulling, while at the same time applying pressure, the danger of accidental dislocation is minimized, if not entirely avoided and the act of replacing or interchanging worn parts can be performed by simple manipulation without the use of any tools and the heel has no outward signs to detract from a conventional appearance.

What I claim is:

1. With an article of footwear having a sole, a heel comprising a tread-retaining portion including a front wall for the heel, said front Wall having a rearwardly projecting flange, and a tread portion comprising a bottom, back and two side walls, the bottom of the tread portion having a groove adapted to engage the flange on the front wall of the tread-retaining portion, the treadretaining portion being secured to the sole in a relatively permanent manner and the tread portion being slidably attached to the tread-retaining portion in a relatively temporary manner, means for joining and retaining the two portions in close proximity and alignment by groove and flange construction adjacent to the sides and back of the heel and means for preventing rearward movement of the tread portion once a point of coincidence is reached by a manipulable locking device not requiring the use of tools for separation of the two portions at will. V

2. With an article of footwear having a sole, a heel comprising a tread-retaining portion including a front wall for the heel and a tread portion comprising a bottom, back and two side walls, the tread portion being provided with a plurality of openings which extend throughout from top to bottom and which have a relatively smaller dimension at the bottom, said openings being situated adjacent to the rear and side walls of the tread portion, and plugs comprising wear-retarding material adapted to fit within the openings, the lower portion of each plug having a protrusion which is exposed to wear at the bottom of the tread portion, the tread-retaining portion being secured to the sole in a relatively permanent manner and the tread portion being slidably attached to the treadretaining portion in a relatively temporary manner, means for joining and retaining the two portions in close proximity and alignment by groove, and flange construction adjacent to the sides and back of the heel and means for preventing rearward movement of the tread once a point of coincidence is reached by a manipulable locking device not requiring the use of tools for separation of the two portions at will.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 26,712 Shaw Jan. 3, 1860 1,490,797 Borger a Apr. 15, 1924 1,642,991 Fowler Sept. 20, 1927 2,233,250 Easton Feb. 25, 1941 2,234,887 Anderson Mar. 11, 1941 2,582,551 Malherbe Ian. 15, 1952 2,806,302 7 Sharpe Sept. 17, 1957 

